Considering a rifle in this caliber. I have no experience with the cartridge, but it is appealing. Any opinions as a hunting round for plains game and elk?

Or would I be better off with a .338 WM?

Thanks,

AT

It's a great caliber. A 338 win mag is obviously more powerful but I have yet to know an animal that can tell the difference of ~125 +/- fps.

I even happen to have 1 for sale in the classifieds

quote:

Originally posted by Mike_Dettorre:
It's a great caliber. A 338 win mag is obviously more powerful but I have yet to know an animal that can tell the difference of ~125 +/- fps.

I even happen to have 1 for sale in the classifieds

Left nanded?

No, not left handed.

A left handed 338-06 is going to be a re-barrel proposition. You can find several LH 30-06s on grunbroker that are good candidates.

Right. I am looking for a WIn 70 new classic or ruger 77 Mk II in '06.

Thanks for your response.

AT

I think you will enjoy using the 338/06. Just a well-balanced cartridge for North America, and a corker on African PG.

Find nice left hand rifle in any of the 06 calibers and send it to JESS for a rebore to 338/06. He does excellent work with fast turn around.

It works nothing special about in.

Mine has killed every thing I shot with it.

If it's not excessive for you, I'd opt for the 338 WM. More power when you need it, and much greater availability of ammunition and components.

quote:

Originally posted by Alec Torres:
Right. I am looking for a WIn 70 new classic or ruger 77 Mk II in '06.

Thanks for your response.

AT

PM Sent

One the coolest niche rounds. Good choice for converting a favorite .30-06 rifle to get more wallop.

quote:

Originally posted by 4sixteen:
One the coolest niche rounds. Good choice for converting a favorite .30-06 rifle to get more wallop.

I agree. My wife and I both own one now.

It can handle 250 gr. bullets easily, which is a struggle for lesser calibers.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
If it's not excessive for you, I'd opt for the 338 WM. More power when you need it, and much greater availability of ammunition and components.

Great point from Biebs. The 338WM has never let me down, be it NA or Africa. A super round that deserves to make it into the ‘Cartridge Hall of Fame’.

My wife however, just traded in her 338WM for a 338-06. The recoil and weight of the rifle was just more than she ‘enjoyed’.

The 338-06 can be made on a lighter rifle (30-06 weight) and can carry one more round in the magazine. If you don’t NEED the extra power of the 338WM (for distance), then the 338-06 is a great alternative. A joy to carry and the reduced recoil may help you shoot better. If you are impervious to recoil, and rifle weight does not concern you, the 338WM is a better deal as Biebs said.

I suspect, the smaller of stature one is, or the older one gets, the more one comes to appreciate the light rifles with smaller recoil levels.

Just an observation. For some reason, everytime the 338/06 comes up, there is usually several suggestions to step up to the 338 mag. When someone mentions that they want to build a 308 or a 30/06, rarely are they advised to just "step up" to a 300 mag. The same goes for the various 6.5 and 7mm cartridges. Talk about building a 9.3x62, Oh yeah, thats the cartridge! But wait, the 9.3x64 mag version is more powerful, but rarely mentioned. 35 Whelen? great choice, but a 358 Norma mag would be more powerful. Surefire7 summed it up really well in his post. For me, if my 318 express or 338/06 are too light, I'll get out the .375 and quit foolin around!

For those who reload and know "whatthehellandwhy" a 26" 338-06 equals a 24" 338 mag with factory loading but don't tell anyone...it's a sure way to get a dust-up going...besides if you really want hair then go to a 338 RUM(or other very large cased 338's) and quit messing around.

Still can't see all the VS krap...a 338 Fed or a 338 whisper will kill anything on the N.A. continent(yeah, I have those too). I had a 338-06 done(metalwork) 30-35 odd years ago just for Elk...it did a fine job, but so did/does every other shooter I have in my considerable well stocked rack, but over the years I found that a larger, heavier bullets at a relatively moderate velo does even better, so pick your poison and done't EVER compare...it just makes you crazy.

The latest round of ultra high velo small cals fired out of long barrels at 1000 yd elk/deer/antelope etc will prove several points IF you just calculate the ending energy and see how well those bullets kill way out there then calculate the ending energy for a "normal" 100-300 yd Elk shot with "normaly" used 338 bullet weights. Just saying.

Good Hunting

Don't have a .338-06 but have a .338 WM Ruger Hawkeye and really like it. Wide range of bullets available including VLD's. Seems 225gr is about the most popular for a .338. Using lighter bullets muzzle speed difference isn't huge between the 2 but more apparent with > 250gr bullets in the .338 WM.

Now now Lee, don't apply logic

quote:

For those who reload and know "whatthehellandwhy" a 26" 338-06 equals a 24" 338 mag with factory loading but don't tell anyone...it's a sure way to get a dust-up going

Can't get my 27 inch 338-06 to equal my 24inch 338 mag.

Alec,

I'm a big fan of the 33 calibers and I've owned, shot and hunted with the WM, 340 WBY, 330 Dakota, ULTRA and the 338-06. The 338-06 is my latest 33 caliber acquisition and I think my best. It doesn't have quite the trajectory of the bigger 33's but with the 185 TTSX at 2900 fps and the 210 TTSX or NP at 2700 fps I think it's adequate for about anything and it's so mild to shoot.

The Ackley version will give you a little more and a 24"or longer barrel will help too.

Mark

Mark me down as another "true believer" in the .338-'06 (although mine's an AI version).

As mentioned previously, the suggestion is often made to just "step up to a .338 WM". Quite frankly, I built mine because I didn't want or need the "extra" that comes with shooting the WinMag .338. Mine has killed elk very dead (in fact, it's been one of the most consistently deadly guns on my rack...likely because she's a well-mannered lass!).

The ONLY thing I might do over is to not go the A.I. route...I'm not at all sure that the gain is worth the additional forming work).

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by surefire7:

quote:

Originally posted by 4sixteen:
One the coolest niche rounds. Good choice for converting a favorite .30-06 rifle to get more wallop.

I agree. My wife and I both own one now.

It can handle 250 gr. bullets easily, which is a struggle for lesser calibers.

I can see the pleasure in such a rifle, even though I'm a 338 WM fan for decades. A person could pick up one of the lightweight and inexpensive Ruger Americans in 30-06 and rebore it. The result would be a 6 and 1/2 pound easy carry and lightweight rifle, especially with a lightweight scope in 2-7 or 3-9. For NA hunting, the monolithics in 185-210 grains would provide 2800-3000fps, which is plenty out to 400 yards.

However, when it comes to lightweight rifles in 338 caliber, a person can just pick up a Tikka in 338 WM. No fuss, no changes, very lightweight, and they are shooters. All one would need for the 338-06 level is to handload down 100 fps. Win-Win.

Why do 338-06's regularly get advice to find a WinMag, but 308 and 30-06 options don't get such advice?
Probably because 308 and 30-06 ammo is everywhere. (And both of them have some pretty good hunting loads at 2800-3000 fps, something that already works out to 400 yards.)

As for rifle weight, there is often a difference between a 308 and 300's, but Ruger American now offers a 300WM. Tikka, too. But if hunting is under 400 yards, why bother with a 300WM? If wanting "more" than 308/30-06 and willing to accept more recoil, then a 338 packs more for the 0-400 range.

I contemplate the 338,06 myself !
I sold my 338 WM a while back, great round but more power than i have ever needed, and my right shoulder is giving me trouble now. Might sell my 45/70 too. But the .338 06, With a 210 grain partition, is likely to kill an elk at 350 yards as quick as anything.
If you shoot farther than that get a magnum.
The 338 Nosler would be a real step up !

338-06 is slightly better than the 8X57IS when both are loaded to the same pressure.

It's a modern 318 WR and everyone can agree on that caliber's pedigree. With modern bullets why would the 338-06 not be an even surer killer than the 318?

A 250 grain NP at 2400 fps would provide adequate penetration and expansion on practically anything.

I load mine 338-06 with 225 grs Woodleigh PP, and have shot five moose the last three years with that combo, plus a couple of red stags and some roebucks.

I like the Caliber very much, and find it just as good as the 338 Winmag, with much less recoil.

I have 30-06 that was rebored to a 338-06 by JES.Thing is a great shooter,a lot of my loads shoot 1/2" or less,so I have no complaints on his work.I haven't shot anything but paper,but have worked up several great loads with 200gr Ballistic Silver Tips and 200gr Accubonds.2800fps seems to be the speed those bullets shoot the best in my rifle,which is quite a bit of power from a 30-06 size case.I don't think too many animals could walk away from a 200gr .338 bullet with that starting velocity.It shoots fairly flat too.It is actually close to a 300 Win Mag with a 200gr bullet.Should be a great thumper round.

Never had any trouble matching 24" 338 Factory or some reloading manuals with my 26" 338-06 and 225 gr Hornady SP's. That's NOT saying if you know "whatthehellandwhy" you can't get the maggy to exceed factory and reloading manuals offerings the same way...Just saying I can and have...your results and mine can differ buy a wide margin...I think you understand this. No need for a dust up or a big argument...it just doesn't matter.

Good Hunting

I have a 338-06 in the AI version. Have shot moose and elk with it. No complaints with the cartridge for me. I use the 210gr Swift Scirocco in it. Great bullet. I think the cartridge is hard to beat from a common sense point of view.
Good luck with your build. Cheers.

Thanks, all. I am moving forward on building a .338-'06.

I had one and sold it, If I were to do it again I would go 35 Whelen all the way. Way better round.

There is a good article on the 35 on the terminal ballistics Website.

As for making cases for the 338-06,I use once fired 30-06 brass.It's already expanded some,the brass is still soft and not work harden,it's cheap and readily available.I'm using Lee Dies and have had zero issues necking up the brass.Just make sure you lube the inside of the necks well and it's one pass through the die and you have your brass.

quote:

Originally posted by Double BC:
I had one and sold it, If I were to do it again I would go 35 Whelen all the way. Way better round.

There is a good article on the 35 on the terminal ballistics Website.

This ought to be good. Care to explain to us how it's a "way better round"?

Don't you know a 30-06 is a way better round than a 280 Remington

I hunted with the 338/06 std and later the Ackley version..I very much liked both calibers, however I tried the 338 Win. out and never went back, I can load it down to 338/06 specs but I can't load a 338/06 to anywhere near a 338 Win. going max with both calibers..That said I liked the 9.3x62 also and its the best or lets say the most potent caliber out there without a belt..All good choices..and I must add I just purchased a very nice 338-06 Mauser custom rifle on AR..and I have a .338 Win..

quote:

Originally posted by bluefish:

quote:

Originally posted by Double BC:
I had one and sold it, If I were to do it again I would go 35 Whelen all the way. Way better round.

There is a good article on the 35 on the terminal ballistics Website.

This ought to be good. Care to explain to us how it's a "way better round"?

Ok, for starters the 338Asquare isn’t a mainstream cartridge, mostly a hand load proposition. I drank the koolaid regarding it built one and didn’t find it overly impressive above the 30-06. In reality if choosing a 338 I think the winmag is a better choice. But then I went with the 375hh for my heavy medium bore.

I think the 35 Whalen is a neat round, somewhere in the middle well supported and packs a big punch in a low recoiling light weight gun.

Well, as is always the case it seems, if the 338-06 is discussed, the 338WM, 35 Whelen and 9.3x62 will be brought up as well. And that’s OK. We humans are hardwired to compare and contrast, whether it’s women, jobs, cars, rifles, beer...you name it.

I have never hunted with my 338-06, but I really like it. I plan to take it elk hunting with my next tag, and also to Africa.

But I do LOVE my 35 Whelen. I own the four mentioned above and I have taken game with all of them except the aforementioned 338-06. I agree with Ray that the 9.3x62 is the best, not only the largest bore, but also the heaviest bullets, plus legal for DG in most African countries, which none of the other three can say.

I have taken far more animals with my 338WM, than the rest combined. But these days, whether I’m hunting in NA or Africa, I seem to pack my 35 Whelen. I do like its larger bore than the 338. I like its lighter weight compared to my 338WMs, and its shorter barrel, less recoil, and larger magazine capacity.

Having said all that, I suppose the smartest ones to take to Africa are the 338WM & 9.3x62, due to availability of ammo over there.

Decisions, decisions!

It’s all good, and all fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Alec Torres:
Thanks, all. I am moving forward on building a .338-'06.

Good choice, I have long been a fan.

I have owned traded and sold five different rifles such chambered. I got my last and final one back from the smith last November.

I have used the cartridge to take antelope to elk and would love to take one to Africa.

quote:

Originally posted by Double BC:

quote:

Originally posted by bluefish:

quote:

Originally posted by Double BC:
I had one and sold it, If I were to do it again I would go 35 Whelen all the way. Way better round.

There is a good article on the 35 on the terminal ballistics Website.

This ought to be good. Care to explain to us how it's a "way better round"?

Ok, for starters the 338Asquare isn’t a mainstream cartridge, mostly a hand load proposition. I drank the koolaid regarding it built one and didn’t find it overly impressive above the 30-06. In reality if choosing a 338 I think the winmag is a better choice. But then I went with the 375hh for my heavy medium bore.

I think the 35 Whalen is a neat round, somewhere in the middle well supported and packs a big punch in a low recoiling light weight gun.

So you don't find the 338 caliber bullet to be more effective than a 308 caliber bullet?

Another "this vs that vs another" dust-up. Wanna get a rodeo going say "338-06"...worse than yelling "SHEEP" in a cattle camp(in the old days, not so much today). Anyone bother to look back on AR can find the same dust-up MANY times on this forum alone, not to mention the others.

ALMOST TO A MAN...that cartridge has tons of respect and is well received all over the world. There are always the nay-sayers, you CAN'T get rid of them, it's against most countries laws. I have articles going back to the early 1980's from Aagaard, Simpson and several other not so recognizable names comparing the 35 Whelen, 9.3's, 350 and 338 WM, and the 30 cals, etc...they say the same thing...THERE IS VARIATION between the calibers and cartridge case volumes that only amounts to nitpicking or patting your favorite caliber on the popo...as far as actual hunting goes, forget all the online krapola.

We hunters are a strange lot...the 8mm, 9.3's, 35, and 338 other than the WM variety were mostly overlooked until relatively recently in the US except for the "Illuminate"...those that can think outside rather than just follow along with the rest of the herd.

WHY people have to break out the verbal and sometime actual fists over what amounts to a personal choice is beyond me.

THEY ALL KILL VERY WELL...and whatever imaginary difference there is between the various "offenders" can be attributed to the hunters aim and bullet placement, the bullet choice, the yardage and a ton of other muck-ups...but NO HUNTER I have ever hunted with will own up to THEIR MISTAKES, but will gather the glory when luck steps in...even me(sometimes )

I LIKE MY 338-06 and have used just one bullet all these years...the Hornady 225 SP, it is the ONLY bullet I've tried that will put 5 in one quarter sized hole.

I started out using 4320 and changed to Varget when it first came out. My chamber is definitely NOT anywhere near "normal" dimensions having a 0.020" over headspace and a "Weatherby" throat. My present load COAL is 3.56" and chrono's ≈2850 fs and change from TWO machines and is nowhere near over pressure, I used on case from my first box of cases formed 30-40 years ago. I loaded and fired it 15 times and it still was going...no "ring around the collar" and no indication of head exasperation using a paperclip to check the inside of the case. Now I have a bore scope to use and that case STILL doesn't show any brass spreading.

This is probably because I matched my sizer with my chamber and there is very little "squeezing" going on with the brass and I use a Redding comp shell holders I special ordered to set the shoulder back 0.001".

Not only do I like my 338-06 but I also like my 338 Fed and 338 Lapua AND the 338 "something bigger" wildcat I'm contemplating.

HEY...enjoy the toy you have...unless you are hunting T-Rex it will probably do a great job as long as YOU do YOURS.

Good Hunting

I suppose if it comes down to the wire and if Im honest with myself, and I really like the 338-06, 9.3x62, 338 Win and 35 whelen, but the 30-06 with a 200 gr. Nosler partition at 2700 or more FPS will do anything the others will do, but it just seems a shame to own just one caliber..Ive shot most every critter in the US and Africa with 30-06 and that 200 gr. bullet and damned if I can tell any difference in the killing effect part, and that's the same story I get from guides, PH,s, and world hunters almost to a T....Elmer Keith didn't like the 06, but that's not surprising he was off the wall about everything and in his book he related shooting and elk with the 06 and military surplus solid ammo and the elk ran off into Yellowstone! well duh!!

the 9.3x62 is more powerful and probably more potent up close, but at 300 yards the 06 passing it up IMO..

You can pick a different caliber every time by changing the circumstances, the bullet, the bullet construction, velocity, and by quoting energy figures, and range. thus the arguments have merit and the subject goes on..

My final opinion over the years is use a 375 and the argument subsides,with a "well yeah"! but then recoil comes up..oh well again.

Maybe who gives a fat rats ass is more appropo.